WATERTWON, MA (MAY 1, 2009) - Starting in May, CatholicTV.com will air several documentaries including a documentary on Francois-Xavier Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan who was once a Cardinal of the Catholic Church and a prisoner in Vietnam. Also showing in May will be documentaries on Pope Pius the XII and on Catholic Sisters entitled “Faith in Providence”. These shows are also available on CatholicTV where available.
CatholicTV is a nationally-broadcasted television station headquartered near Boston.
Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan was the nephew of South Vietnam’s first president and also Archbishop of Saigon. In 1975, the communists took over South Vietnam and Cardinal Nguyen was imprisoned for 13 years. Despite 9 years in solitary confinement, Cardinal Nguyen was able to celebrate Mass secretly by using drops of wine and tiny hosts smuggled inside of a flashlight. While in prison, a guard asked Cardinal Nguyen if Cardinal Nguyen would seek revenge against the guard after his release. Cardinal Nguyen told the guard “no” and that he loved him despite the way he was treated. A case has been opened for Cardinal Nguyen’s beatification and he was named on lists of possible successors to Pope John Paul II before Cardinal Nguyen’s death from Cancer in 2002.
The documentary to air on CatholicTV will feature the history of Cardinal Nguyen’s privileged upbringing in a powerful political family, to decades of war, betrayal and imprisonment. The documentary will show interviews with people who knew him best and will even include never-before-seen family videos.
CatholicTV will also be showing documentaries on Pope Pius XII, who reigned during World War II and fought against Nazi injustices. It is estimated that the Catholic Church under Pope Pius XII was instrumental in saving between 750,000 and 860,000 Jews from the Nazi death camps. Over 700 Catholic priests were imprisoned and many killed during World War II.
The Faith in Providence documentary looks at the varying contributions to American society by Catholic Sisters. Written and directed by Elizabeth Wilda, the film provides a historical overview of the work of Catholic Sisters, focusing on the Sisters of Providence of Holyoke, Massachusetts who, since 1873, have been instrumental in establishing non-profit health care and social service institutions across the western Massachusetts region. Religious women historically have made enormous humanitarian contributions that have largely remained unrecognized. They founded, staffed and often funded an array of schools, hospitals and social service institutions across the country where there were none. They faced anti-Catholic discrimination and had little financial resources to work with, yet they became entrepreneurs raising funds and resources to take care of the needy. Sisters distinguished themselves as nurses during the Civil War by demonstrating generous and unbiased humanitarian acts to soldiers on both sides.
These documentaries will be viewable at the following times (EST) at www.CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV where available:
“Faith In Providence”- Week of May 4th-10th- Monday 2PM, Tuesday 10PM, Wednesday 4PM, Thursday 6:30AM, Friday 9PM, Saturday 10:30AM, and Sunday 2AM
Pope Pius XII- Week of May 11th-17th- Tuesday 11:30AM, Wednesday 5AM, Friday 8AM, Sunday 10:30PM
Cardinal Van Thuan- Week of May 18th-24th – Tuesday 11:30AM, Wednesday 5AM, Friday 8AM, Sunday 10:30PM
About CatholicTV:
CatholicTV provides family-friendly, religious, news, and educational programming 24 hours daily. Founded over 50 years ago, CatholicTV is available in selected areas on cable in the United States and Canada, via Sky Angel IPTV and online via a live stream anytime, everywhere at the station's web site www.CatholicTV.com. Father Robert Reed, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, is the Director of CatholicTV
CatholicTV is a nationally-broadcasted television station headquartered near Boston.
Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan was the nephew of South Vietnam’s first president and also Archbishop of Saigon. In 1975, the communists took over South Vietnam and Cardinal Nguyen was imprisoned for 13 years. Despite 9 years in solitary confinement, Cardinal Nguyen was able to celebrate Mass secretly by using drops of wine and tiny hosts smuggled inside of a flashlight. While in prison, a guard asked Cardinal Nguyen if Cardinal Nguyen would seek revenge against the guard after his release. Cardinal Nguyen told the guard “no” and that he loved him despite the way he was treated. A case has been opened for Cardinal Nguyen’s beatification and he was named on lists of possible successors to Pope John Paul II before Cardinal Nguyen’s death from Cancer in 2002.
The documentary to air on CatholicTV will feature the history of Cardinal Nguyen’s privileged upbringing in a powerful political family, to decades of war, betrayal and imprisonment. The documentary will show interviews with people who knew him best and will even include never-before-seen family videos.
CatholicTV will also be showing documentaries on Pope Pius XII, who reigned during World War II and fought against Nazi injustices. It is estimated that the Catholic Church under Pope Pius XII was instrumental in saving between 750,000 and 860,000 Jews from the Nazi death camps. Over 700 Catholic priests were imprisoned and many killed during World War II.
The Faith in Providence documentary looks at the varying contributions to American society by Catholic Sisters. Written and directed by Elizabeth Wilda, the film provides a historical overview of the work of Catholic Sisters, focusing on the Sisters of Providence of Holyoke, Massachusetts who, since 1873, have been instrumental in establishing non-profit health care and social service institutions across the western Massachusetts region. Religious women historically have made enormous humanitarian contributions that have largely remained unrecognized. They founded, staffed and often funded an array of schools, hospitals and social service institutions across the country where there were none. They faced anti-Catholic discrimination and had little financial resources to work with, yet they became entrepreneurs raising funds and resources to take care of the needy. Sisters distinguished themselves as nurses during the Civil War by demonstrating generous and unbiased humanitarian acts to soldiers on both sides.
These documentaries will be viewable at the following times (EST) at www.CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV where available:
“Faith In Providence”- Week of May 4th-10th- Monday 2PM, Tuesday 10PM, Wednesday 4PM, Thursday 6:30AM, Friday 9PM, Saturday 10:30AM, and Sunday 2AM
Pope Pius XII- Week of May 11th-17th- Tuesday 11:30AM, Wednesday 5AM, Friday 8AM, Sunday 10:30PM
Cardinal Van Thuan- Week of May 18th-24th – Tuesday 11:30AM, Wednesday 5AM, Friday 8AM, Sunday 10:30PM
About CatholicTV:
CatholicTV provides family-friendly, religious, news, and educational programming 24 hours daily. Founded over 50 years ago, CatholicTV is available in selected areas on cable in the United States and Canada, via Sky Angel IPTV and online via a live stream anytime, everywhere at the station's web site www.CatholicTV.com. Father Robert Reed, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, is the Director of CatholicTV